Wheels Up - Safety and Security for Business, Executive and VIP Travellers Podcast

Panoptic Solutions has partnered with PFC for several years. This allows PFC's clients to travel to APAC and access world-class services via Panoptic Solutions, and vice-versa for Panoptic Solutions clients who travel to the US and beyond. 


The partnership is based on trust and credibility, understanding that either company would only refer a distant service to their clients of the same standard as their own. The similarities do...

Returning from Iraq after her time as a private military contractor and ending her career in the military, Neryl Joyce looked for a new career that would professionally challenge and motivate her like her previous roles. She made an unusual move and became an Operations Manager at the Christmas Island Detention Centre where she faced an intense couple of years.

In this episode, find out how Neryl dealt with being in a high intensit...

Working within the male dominated field of defence and surrounded by boy’s club culture, Neryl Attkins faced many challenges. Her journey as a woman in the armed forces made it harder for her to be heard and stand her ground in particular situations.

In this episode, you will hear Neryl’s incredible journey, discharging from the Australian Army to become a private military contractor and how she dealt with numerous events, such as ...

Troy Claydon and Steve Albritton delve deep into setting up your own security industry business. If you’re even thinking about starting your own security business, this episode is a must.

Not only do they discuss how to open a security business in Australia and the United States of America, but they also get real honest when talking about their own mistakes and give you set of essential tips needed to get you started. Episode High...

Former stunt actor, Russell Price, has worked alongside some of the greatest martial arts actors in the world, like Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Aside from his work as a stunt actor, he has an impressive resume with 10 years in the British Royal Marines, 40 years in the martial arts space and 23 years working within the security industry internationally. Not to mention, he has a 6-dan Black Belt in Shotokan Karate and was inducted into ...

We’re excited to introduce co-host, Steven Albritton, to our listeners. Steve is the principal owner of OPStructure, based out of Florida. He has vast experience in the security world, not only in the USA but internationally. Executive protection is a very different ball game in the USA, so it will be great to get Steve’s view on particular topics and past experiences working within and outside of the USA.

Troy and Steve will be br...

Ronin is one of (if not the most) renowned civilian training academies for protection training globally. Located in Cape Town South Africa, the academy has an unmatched environment that covers all aspects of protection training from firearm competency training to experiencing frontline ambulance shifts, all in the heart of South Africa and its unpredictable climate. In this episode, you’ll hear from the founder of Ronin, Timm Smit...

Sorry to have left you hanging - we’ve been on a quick breather due to the workload with clients across multiple countries. We’re back, and we’ve made some exciting new changes to the format of our podcast. In this podcast, you’ll find out about our changes, hear our outstanding lineup of guest speakers for the next several weeks and get a quick update on Panoptic Solutions.

Episode Highlights:

• What’s been happening.
• Our lat...

When we think of stalkers and death threats we tend to think of it as being a problem for high profile personalities or celebrities. Most situations involving ‘normal’ people rarely make the news unless the circumstances are drastic but it is a problem much more common that most of us realise.

In this podcast, we look at the nature of stalking and stalkers and how to respond to stalking situations.

Episode Highlights:

• The Austr...

Are you aware that up to 2,000 people around the world are currently being held against their will in one form or another? Or that somewhere between 12,000 and 15,000 people a year are kidnapped for ransom or held hostage? The fact is, risk is ever present whoever and wherever you are, and being prepared to deal with a situation like detainment, kidnapping or surviving captivity can never be a bad thing. Luckily, there are organisa...

Can mindset really help travellers and security operatives respond safely to uncertain circumstances? This podcast interview with former Australian Special Forces soldier and hostile environment security expert, Rhys Dowden about the benefits of a preparation mindset. He explains his holistic approach to confidence in any situation and his tips for getting the edge on life.

Episode Highlights:

• About Rhys Dowden and Operator Edg...

Last week we published a podcast episode outlining the ins and outs of hiring a bodyguard or executive protection agent. In the second and final part of the series we look into the medical aspects of an engagement, the importance of local knowledge, some of the contractual details and what should happen before an engagement commences.

Episode Highlights:

• Should We Look For a Medical Capability  in Our Executive Protection Team?
...

For those who aren’t familiar with it, the task of hiring a bodyguard or executive protection agent can be overwhelming. Knowing whether you actually need one can be a mystery, let alone knowing what to look for.

With that in mind, we recorded a couple of episodes of the Wheels Up Podcast where we covered what an executive protection agent or operative is, who might need one and how to go about selecting one. Here’s a summary of wh...

Google "shareholder meeting attack" and you’ll be amazed at the number of stories that come up. Most of them are about non-violent attacks - protest groups, people launching hostile bids or shareholders complaining about executive salaries or positions. But, violent or not, looking at the Google results (and reading this blog post or listening to this podcast episode) you’ll soon see why it's imperative for CEOs and prominent compa...

How do high levels of comfort and safety affect our attitude toward risk and how does this impact our level of preparedness and ability to respond to risky situations? In this podcast episode we interview Dr Gavriel Schneider, an expert on integrated risk management and safety and security. We take a deep dive into the psychology of risk and the influence it has on our planning and response mechanisms.

Episode Highlights:

• An...

When most people think of executive protection, or bodyguards in general, they tend to think of VIPs, celebrities, and high net worth individuals (HNWI). Though they may not always travel to hazardous locations, their risk is enhanced by virtue of their position or status. For journalists and media crews though, travelling to hazardous locations is often part of the job, thus provision sometimes needs to be made for risk management...

In a previous podcast episode we discussed executive protection recruitment and more with Steve Albritton, a respected security industry consultant based in Florida, USA. In this continuation of our discussion Steve shares how to build a security team from scratch, how to factor medical issues into a risk mitigation task, why staff sometimes need to be at more risk than the principal client, what really goes on behind the scenes of...

The executive protection industry isn’t one that has a clear path for those looking to get into it. In fact most people find themselves in the field almost by accident, usually after a career in the military or police.

In this episode we tap into the brain of one of the long-term players in the industry. Steve Albritton served in the military and state police in the USA before taking on a role as security manager for a high net wor...

The Philippines is becoming a more common destination for business travellers. As well as being home to the Asian Development Bank, the rising use of Filipino personnel for international call centres makes business travel to the area more frequent.

We’ve also had the good fortune to work locally in The Philippines and internationally with a high-profile international Filipino sportsman and have considerable experience with the coun...